TankBud

Cultivar of Echinodorus

Fancy Twist sword

Echinodorus 'Fancy Twist'

One of 21 cultivars of Echinodorus · See all cultivars →

Also known as Echinodorus Fancy Twist, Fancy Twist

FreshwaterRosetteSide shootsPlantlets

Fancy Twist sword (Echinodorus 'Fancy Twist')
Aquarium Plants Factory · Used with permission

Cultivars · Echinodorus

See all 21 →

Care at a glance

Light
Medium light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Temperature
72–82°F
22–28°C
Max height
15.7 in
40 cm
Growth rate
Medium
Placement
Midground
Type
Rosette
pH
6.0–7.5
Hardness
2–15 dGH
Spread
11.8 in (30 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Medium
Family
Alismataceae
Origin
Cultivated hybrid (nursery-bred, not a wild species); parent stock from tropical South America

Overview

A twisted-leaf oddball sword that works best as a midground specimen where its curling foliage stands out. It is a heavy root feeder, so a nutrient-rich substrate with root tabs and iron keeps the leaves from yellowing and brings out red tones. It tolerates low-tech tanks with slower, greener growth, but medium to high light plus CO2 gives faster growth and stronger color; trim tired outer leaves to keep the rosette tidy.

In the wild

Fancy Twist is a hybrid cultivar with no wild population; it does not occur in nature. Its Echinodorus ancestry comes from the marshes and slow, seasonally flooded waters of tropical South America, where swords grow rooted in rich mud and often emerge above the surface.

Good to know

A named cultivar in the family Alismataceae, sold under a quoted name because it has no botanical binomial. It is prized for a novelty trait: broad lanceolate leaves that spiral and twist as they grow, a mutation similar to the well-known 'Vesuvius' sword. Color ranges through light green, bronze, and deep blood-red depending on light and feeding.

Did you know

Did you know the corkscrew leaves are the whole point? Fancy Twist carries the same spiral-growth mutation that makes 'Vesuvius' famous, so each leaf coils like a ribbon instead of lying flat.

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